Simone Biles, the Greatest Olympic Gymnast Ever

Simone Biles found herself in a unique spot. She was behind for the first time in three years by .0034 of a point as she approached the finals in the Rio Olympic games. The balance beam and the floor exercise would determine if Simone succeeded or failed to become the greatest gymnast ever in the Olympic history.

Just before the floor exercise, Simone heard these wise words from her coach Boorman:

“Do it for yourself and do it from joy.”

Instead of getting into a defeatist mindset that could have choked her performance, Simone focused on tumbling for the joy of it. She did not focus on a perfect “outcome”, but instead she focused on the “process” of her joy. Doing it from joy.

When my clients focus on a perfect outcome, they are filled with stress, tension, and anxiety. They bog down in every way: creativity, motivation, and execution. Worse, avoidance and procrastination can set it in.

Talent and training get you into the competition. But to compete, focusing on your process gets champion results. By refocusing on the process of what you are doing, you can easily have a breakout performance.

What do I mean by process? Can you refocus on the experience of what you are doing rather than being obsessed about getting the perfect outcome? Change your focus to the enjoyment and pleasure of using your skills. Get curious about how you will overcome a challenge. Notice your mastery and contribution to a solution. Get excited about how you will make a difference today. Exercise your cleverness in figuring out a complex problem. Your education, experience, training and talents will flourish when you enter the flow state of what you are doing.

By focusing on your process, you will have good to best to champion outcomes.

What an emotionally moving and inspirational video about the power and brilliance found when you Rule Yourself! One thing that I have never found more true in today’s workplace is that the ultimate key to an executive’s success is not the company. It is the executive himself or herself. Own your training, own your development. Never wait for your company to invest in you. Invest in yourself. Companies may come and go, but you don’t. Rock Yourself, Rule Yourself. See the companies come courting you.

For those of you who’d like a little motivation, here’s a dose on mega-drive. One aspect of great leadership is self-awareness and optimism. Tenacity in the face of adversity requires personal resilience and resolve. What keeps your competitive juices on high speed? What keeps your spirit soaring rather than sag? What keeps you in the game even when all else says otherwise? Here’s a song to help your spirit soar even higher!